Dante Exum, who battled through a plantar injury last season to become a trusted part of the Mavericks’ rotation, is out again, this time with a wrist injury.
The Mavericks announced the right wrist injury, but it was Shams Charania of The Athletic who filled in the details that this is a “serious” wrist injury that could require surgery. While we will no more in the coming days, expect Exum to be out through the start of the season and maybe much longer.
Dallas has the depth to cover this injury. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will start at the guard spots with Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy getting more minutes off the bench to start the season, plus Klay Thompson and Quentin Grimes can be worked into the two-guard rotation (Thompson will start as the Mavericks’ small forward this season).
Last season, Exum earned his way into the Mavericks rotation, averaging 7.8 points and 2.9 assists in 19.8 minutes per game. He was moved into the starting lineup in January, which is when he suffered a plantar injury that sidelined him for a couple of months (he played in 55 games last season). His role shrunk in the playoffs, but he still got into 21 games for Dallas on its run to the Finals.
This injury comes a day after the Mavericks announced that Luka Doncic has a left calf contusion that will have him re-evaluated in a week but isn’t expected to impact his availability for the season opener Oct. 24.
